Theudis

Theudis (494-548) was King of the Visigoths from 531 to 548, succeeding Amalaric and preceding Theudigisel.

Biography
Theudis was born in 494, and he served as the sword-bearer of Theoderic the Great before being sent to govern the Visigothic Kingdom during the minority of Amalaric. He married a wealthy Spanish woman and used this newly-acquired wealth to raise an army of 2,000 troops, making him effectively independent from Theoderic, but he continued to send annual tribute to Theoderic, ensuring that Theoderic never invaded Spain. Following Amalaric's death in 531, Theudis was elected King, and he defeated a Frankish invasion at Zaragoza in 541, the first time that the Visigoths had defeated the Franks in battle. In 533, he refused to join an alliance with the Vandals against the Byzantine Empire, and he codified Gothic law in 546 and tolerated Catholicism. He was assassinated in 548.